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Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Queen of the Rink

Objective: For fun; to practice keeping your balance and staying within boundaries when giving and receiving hits; to practice hard hitting

Typical length of drill: 5-15 minutes (time adaptable to how much time is available)

Materials needed: A full taped down trackSkill level required: Skaters must be cleared for contact.Description: This is a variation on the game Blood & Thunder. The primary objective in the game is to be the last skater left upright. All the skaters start by spreading themselves around the track and skating at a medium pace. On the coach's whistle the game begins: The skaters are allowed to use any and all legal means to get the other skaters to fall or go out of bounds (i.e. pushing/leaning, hitting/blocking). When a skater falls or goes our of bounds s/he becomes an obstacle for the remaining skaters on the track by sitting down in the spot where the infraction occured. The winner of the game is the last skater left on the track. To add an extra level of challenge to this game, move the game to the inside of the track once there are only a few skaters left standing, making the play-area much smaller.

Additional notes: I think there is argument about which of these versions is the original Blood & Thunder and whether or not Queen of the Rink is actually a different game or just another name for Blood & Thunder. I do not know the answer. The way I have posted the two drills here on A.D.D. is the way that I have learned to separate the two games, and this certainly makes it easier for me and those I'm coaching to know what I'm referring to when I talk. I don't remember where I learned this variation on the game but it's definitely kind of a classic, and it's really fun!